A view of the U.S. Capitol. / Paul Singer, USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

Nearly 6 in 10 voters, or 57%, say they would defeat every lawmaker -- including their own representative -- if they had that chance, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday. That compares with 39% who would not and 4% who say they aren't sure.

The "throw the bums out" mentality shouldn't be surprising, since Congress has been sinking to new lows in the eyes of the public. One poll that got a lot of attention earlier in the year showed cockroaches and traffic jams got better numbers than the Mr. and Ms. Smiths who are serving in Washington.

When voters were asked what makes them most unhappy about the federal government, "partisanship and inability of Congress to get things done" was the most frequent response.

The irony of the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finding is that even though Congress rates so low in the public eye, the re-election rate for members is high. In the 2012 elections, 90% of the House members and 91% of the senators who ran for new terms were re-elected, according to a Bloomberg Government study.